Railway line to close through Market Harborough for 6 days as part of £53m upgrade

New platforms under construction at Market Harborough railway station (Image: Network Rail)

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The railway line running through a county train station will be closed for six days as work continues on a £53 million project to increase train speeds through Leicestershire.

Network Rail has announced the dates for the latest closure as part of a wider upgrade of the line between London and Sheffield, costing £1.4 billion, including work to Market Harborough train station.

Previous line closures during the ongoing project have caused widespread disruption for people travelling to and from the capital.

A spokesman for Network Rail said: “We are currently working to install almost two miles of track in a new, straighter alignment, as well as new signalling equipment.

“During the six-day closure, engineers will connect the new, straighter track to the existing track, allowing passenger services to run on the new alignment from Monday June 2 when all train services resume."

Work is continuing to straighten the railway line through Market Harborough (Image: Andrew Carpenter)

He added: “It is vital work, part of the Market Harborough Line Speed Improvement Project, which is a £53 million investment into the railway in this area.

“Once completed, trains will be able to travel through the area at higher speeds.

“To allow this work to take place safely, no train services will run on this part of the line.”

Coach replacement services from Market Harborough train station, as well as diversionary routes, will be in operation during the closure.

There will also be some reduction of East Midlands Trains services and extended journey times on its services to and from London, with passengers advised to check before they travel.

A new 300 space car park, set to increase to 500 by December, has already been constructed, along with step-free access to the platforms.

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Jake Kelly, managing director for East Midlands Trains said: “We are working alongside Network Rail to deliver a vastly improved Market Harborough station and by the end of 2019 it will provide lifts and a new footbridge, a significantly larger customer car park, longer platforms for longer trains and straighter track for quicker journeys across the Midland Main Line.

"We appreciate that the closure of the station will inconvenience some of our passengers during this time however, the improvement works will make the station more accessible for all our passengers in the future".

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Kevin Harris, is chairman of the Leicester and Leicestershire Enterprise Partnership (LLEP), which has contributed £3million into the project.

He said: “Inevitably major works of this nature cause unavoidable disruption. However, this is just a few days, after which, faster non-stop journey times between London St. Pancras, Leicester, Derby, Nottingham and Sheffield will be possible.

“These important works will lead to better time table capacity and flexibility which is good news for commuters and the shorter travel time to London is a major factor for businesses investing in the region.”